Half to george a



(No Model.) I

E. J. STEELE.

GLASP.

Patented May 10, 1892' mil-lawman Wi fr; E5555.

5 g W W m: uonms rams cm, 0 no., WASHINGTON, n. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELBRIDGE J. STEELE, OF NAUGATUOK, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO GEORGE A. LEWIS, OF SAME PLACE.

CLASP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,537, dated May 10, 1892.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELBRIDGE J. STEELE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Naugatuck, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clasps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in clasps for use on boot-trees in the manufacture of rubber boots; and the objects of my improvements are simplicity and cheapness of construction and general efliciency of the article, especially with reference to its secure hold upon the boot-lining.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my clasp. Fig. 2 is a longinal section of the same on the line was of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isa detached plan view of the latch or hinged jaw of my clasp. Fig. 4 is a detached longitudinal section of frame of my clasp, and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of my clasp, showing a modification in the manner of inserting and securing the spring.

A designates the frame or body of my clasp, and B the latch or hinged'jaw. I form said frame with a flange 6 at the edge, on a portion of which I form the two lugs 7 7, which when the frame is first formed by casting are left straight and pendent like the rest of the flange, as shown in Fig. 4. At the upper ends of the lugs 7 7 on the inside of the frame I form spring seats or shoulders 8 8. The frame is recessed on its upper surface at one end to receive the outer end 9 of the latch B, the side walls of which recess are provided with inward projections 10, that register or coinside with recesses 11 in the edges of the latch. Inside of said projections-that is, nearer the middle of the frame-recesses 12 are formed. The middle portion of the frame has an opening clear through,within which lies the hinged end 13. of the latch, and the side walls of the frame at said opening are provided with trunnion-recesses 14, open at the bottom, as shown at one side in Fig. 4.. The hinged end of the latch is provided with side trunnions 15, Fig. 3, preferably cast integral therewith, an d with an angular corner 16 for engagement with the spring 17. The position of the trunnions is indicated by a broken circle in Figs. 2, 4, and 5. The contour of the frame may be of any desired design,and the clasp may be secured to the boot-tree in any ordinary manner. simple and effective way to secure the same 1s by forming a mortise of a shape correspond ng with that of the frame and driving or forcing the clasp into said mortise.

The frame shown in Figs. 2 and 4 may be cast complete without the employment of a core, and consequently produced at a small cost. The latch may also be cast in the form shown, and the spring may be cut from a flat sheet or strip of metal. I I

After the parts are constructed the small end and body of the latch may be slipped up through the central opening in the frame from the under side, and its trunnions 15 brought up into the trunnion-recesses 14: in the sides of the frame. The spring 17 is then placed inposition and the lugs 7 bent up from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in 7 Fig. 2, thereby causing the spring to bear upon the latch and holding said latch and spring firmly in place with the ends of the spring seated on the spring-seats 8 to locate the position of said spring, as shown in Fig. 2. The spring acts to hold the latch firmly in the position shown, and when the latch is lifted and turned up the spring acts to hold it back in the ordinary manner of analogous springpressed latchesin well-known structures. The felt or boot lining to be held by my clasp is placed on the surface of the frame when the latch is turned up, and upon turning the latch down again it is pinched between the latch and the frame.

In Fig. 5 the frame A A is cast on a core and provided with a slot 18 at one end for inserting the spring 17, and flanges 19 are formed at each end to hold the spring. Otherwise the parts are like the construction first described. After putting the latch in position in the frame the spring is inserted through the slot 18 to hold the parts together.

The terms top and bottom or up and down, &c., are herein used with reference to the clasp when in the position shown in Fig. 2.

A set of clasps secured to a boot-tree for holding the boot-lining thereon in the manufacture of rubber boots is old and hereby disclaimed. By forming the side projections 10 in the latch-recess of the frame and coinciding recesses 11 in the side edges of the latch my clasp verysecurely holds the cloth, the construction is very simple and inexpensive, and there are no prongs, hooks, pins, teeth, or other parts of a form that will be likely to catch upon other objects, hurt the fingers of the operator, or in any way subject him to any inconvenience.

I claim as my invention 1. In a clasp, the frame having a longitudinal latch-recess and the latch pivoted to the frame within and fitted to said recess, the 0pposite sides of said longitudinal recess having projections 10, each extending inwardly toward the opposite side Wall, the opposite side edges of said latch having the recesses 11 coinciding with said projections 10, While the seam or space between the confronting longitudinal side edges of said latch and its recess opens on the broad face of the clasp, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

2. The herein-described clasp, consisting of the frame having the flange 6, lugs7 7, spring- ,seats 8 8, latch recess and opening, the latch hinged to said frame and fitted to shut into said latch-recess substantially flush with the face of said frame, and the spring 17 with one side of each of its ends resting on said springseats While the opposite side is held by said lugs, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

ELBRIDGE J. STEELE. WVitnesses:

D. T. PLATT, L. S. PLATT. 

